Telluride Mushroom Fest Tips & Olympia, WA Decriminalizes Psilocybin

IN TODAY’S EDITION

• 1️⃣ Tips from 2 Telluride sessions

• 2️⃣ Ted Danson’s weird trip

• 3️⃣ Mushroom mycelium packaging

Hi Shroomer. I hope you had a sporetacular week! If you’re reading this on Friday, I’m on my first-ever Colorado foray as part of the Telluride Mushroom Festival. This community is full of magic, and I’m grateful to be a part of it with you.

—Shannon Ratliff

FESTIVAL SEASON

Check out our recap of MycoFest, which is a great example of what to expect from a mushroom festival near you. We have so much gratitude to William Padilla-Brown, MycoSymbiotics, and everyone who was gracious enough to chat with us about the festival’s history.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Good hair day sponsored by 💈 Polyporus umbellatus, a mushroom cherished in Traditional Chinese Medicine for its diuretic properties, shows promising signs for hair growth treatments. Recent research reveals how its extract encourages hair follicle cells to multiply by tapping into specific cell signaling pathways.

Diabetes under microscope 🔬 The power of reishi in managing diabetes in rats was recently researched, using doses of 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg. Their findings are promising: not only did the extract significantly lower blood sugar levels, but it also improved lipid profiles, and kidney and liver health.

3, 2, 1… 🚀 Cordyceps sinensis shows potential in modifying how cells self-destruct—a key in cancer treatments. Researchers are tackling challenges like identifying the correct species and inconsistent results, aiming to unlock this fungus's full potential.

PSILOCYBIN & LEGISLATION

The PNW pushes forward 🌲 In Olympia, WA, city leaders decisively voted to decriminalize psilocybin and other certain plants and fungi, declaring these should be the lowest priority for local law enforcement. This change kicks in 30 days after the vote. These grassroots efforts in Washington’s capital city were sparked by similar movements in Massachusetts, which has evolved into a powerful push for a statewide psychedelics legalization initiative set for the 2024 ballot.

Cheers! 🥴 Ted Danson talked about a weird trip he had while playing hooky with Woody Harrelson and George Wendt while filming Cheers on his podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name. I’m sharing this because as Eugenia Bone discussed in her fabulous talk, “How to Write Responsibly About Psychedelics,” it’s pivotal for us to cover everything - the positive and the negative.

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

Mr. Postman 📦️ Mushroom mycelium foam is being explored as protective packaging in a new study published in The Journal of Applied Packaging Research. The foam’s lower rebound resilience and mechanical strength compared to density were measured, and they found that particularly when combined with corrugated paperboard, it’s an effective biodegradable alternative to things like packing peanuts.

Harsh world, harsher fungi 🌬️ A new study highlights the potential of extremophilic fungi to revolutionize sustainable agriculture. These fungi thrive in harsh conditions and act as natural plant probiotics, which could help develop innovative biofertilizers and effective biocontrol agents, aiming to improve soil fertility and reduce chemical dependency.

TIPS FROM TELLURIDE

Mushroom Hunting 101 with Ken Kassenbrock, MD, PhD

Here are some refreshers from the very first session of Telluride Mushroom Festival:

1. 🤯 There are 8 phyla of fungi, but only 2 phyla make mushrooms.

2. 🥾 A hiking stick in the field on your forays extends your reach and saves you from bending over a little much.

3. 🔍️ Learn one new species at a time. Know it and its lookalikes inside out, and add species onto your list as you feel confident.

4. 🛑 Leccinum is an edible variety that looks like a king bolete that seems to make 10-20% of people sick, so experts caution against it.

5. 🇫🇷 We heard that in France, pharmacists are trained to ID wild mushrooms. Can any of our French readers confirm this?

6. 🍄 Finally, don’t leave cut mushrooms astray in the forest. Cut one you don’t want? Place it right side up near where it was found for the next mushroom hunter.

TIPS FROM TELLURIDE

Fungal DNA Mapping with Mandie Quark

As of 2017, it was estimated that we knew about 3% of 3 million fungi species. Community mycologist Mandie Quark opened her talk by noting that number is hotly debated among mycologists, but the point remains: the fungal kingdom is a mystery to us, especially considering that 98-99% of plant species have been formally described by scientific standards.

What you can do to help?

1. Pick an in-tact fungus.

2. Dry it.

3. Send it off for sequencing.

Really, it’s that simple. The Ohio Mushroom DNA Lab provides free DNA sequencing, and the Summer Continental MycoBlitz is currently on from now until August 18 as part of their mission to document all macrofungi in North America.

Why get involved?

1. The more fungi we map, the more we understand about environment, from the mycorrhizal trees to the soil composition.

2. Grants are given to causes that have active interest. What better way to show active interest than to mail in 95 specimens? (Seriously, Quark told us she collected 95 specimens in 4 days in North Carolina. It’s possible!)

Her talk specifically focused on Colorado fungal DNA mapping, of which there is surprisingly few compared to the abundant mushroom species found. So if you live in Colorado, Quark especially wants your dried finds.

FUNGUS OF THE WEEK

Rainbow Chanterelles (Cantharellus roseocanus)

🌈 Rainbow chanterelles are distinguished by bright orange or false gills, and their caps are duller than their Pacific Golden (Cantharellus formosus) cousins. Some have a pinkish bloom near the edge the edge. In Colorado, they’re found where other chanterelles grow, at about 9,000 to 11,000 feet in elevation in a narrow band.

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QUESTION OF THE DAY

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